Politics & International Relations (MA)

About the Course

The Masters in Politics and International Relations is a fast growing academic discipline, reflecting the speed and complexity with which the 21st century world is changing. It is distinctive in offering an approach that links Politics and International Relations through a shared focus on analysis of political organisation and power relations that looks beyond formal hierarchies and structures of government and the state.

Students who undertake this postgraduate course are exposed to a variety of contemporary issues that highlight the need to understand the nexus between domestic political politics and global dynamics. These include - among others - conflict and peace, environmental issues, and social tensions. Such issues compel both scholars and students alike to grasp an understanding of political developments from a range of different perspectives, including the domestic and the international.

This MA programme reflects very real and recent shifts in priority by scholars driving new ideas in both Politics and International Relations. Far from being too broad, it provides students with the essential tools to understand the motives and drivers of political dynamics, both in the way that macro changes in global politics have an impact on the domestic and the local, and vice versa.

Curriculum Overview

The MA Politics and International Relations programme is comprised of two compulsory 30-credit modules Politics and International Relations: Theories, Concepts and Analysis, and The Practice of Political Science and Analysis and a 60-credit dissertation. Students will also be required to study four optional 15-credit modules adding up to 180 credits. You will be assessed for each component. Assessment methods may include coursework, essay, critical or policy reports and presentations.

During the programme you will study:

Politics and International Relations: Theories, Concepts and Analysis - compulsory (30 Credits): This module introduces and explores key concepts, debates and ideas in politics and international relations. Students will explore competing conceptualisations and their application to contemporary political problems, grounded in readings of the original classic texts and the literatures they have inspired.

Conducting Political Research: Methods and Approaches - compulsory (30 Credits): The module both addresses issues essential for students engaging in graduate level research in the discipline – including political epistemology and methodology and the development and design of research – and provides case studies of current and ongoing research by Hope academics. In doing so, it provides guidance for students in interpreting and applying their theoretical knowledge to real-world political issues and problems.

Research Dissertation - compulsory (60 Credits): During this compulsory module, students will be instructed on how to develop a critical voice and Master’s competence in research methods. During the final phase of the MA, students use the skills and knowledge they have developed and draw on their own experience and supporting evidence from specific research articles, to critique, analyse and ultimately influence their research. During this course, students will also be required to secure the appropriate ethical approval from the University for their Dissertation.

Students will also pick four optional modules from the following (subject to staff availability and student numbers):

Crises in the United States? Division, Scandal and the Health of Democracy in the United States - optional (15 credits): This module considers the causes and consequences of scandal politics in the United States in the modern era and the state of American democracy. It considers the precedents set by the Watergate scandal and explores the means through which scandal procedures are normally followed. It considers issues of legality, morality, abuse of power, and the role of the core institutions, including the media, in shaping the evolution of scandal politics.

The European Union as an International Actor - optional (15 credits): The course will examine the role played by the European Union in global politics. It will look at the EU’s developing capacities in the areas of international trade, aid and development policy, foreign policy and security policy.

A study of varieties of nationalism in modern Europe 1789-1945 - optional (15 credits): This module explores varieties of modern European nationalism. It offers a wide overview of nationalism in several European countries from the birth of modern nationalism following the French Revolution (1789) to the demise of Fascism in Europe in 1945.

Religion and Conflict - optional (15 credits): This module examines the role of religion in conflict and post-conflict situations. It will combine theoretical approaches with case studies of individual religions and conflict situations.

Political communication in conflict and peace - optional (15 credits) This module evaluates key models and theories to explain relationships between political actors, mainstream and alternative media, and issues around power projection and contestation between political actors and global publics in contexts of conflict and peacebuilding.

‘Great Hatred, Little Room’: Ireland 1789-2009 - optional (15 credits) This course departs from the majority of Irish history teaching by placing Ireland in a comparative European context. Informed by the overriding context of European history in the late modern period, the course seeks to assess the validity of the popular narrative of Irish exceptionalism by examining Irish history conceptually and comparatively. It therefore looks at key people and processes in Ireland’s experience of transnational phenomena: imperialism, nationalism, industrialism, capitalism, confessionalisation, post-colonialism, and artistic and literary outputs.

Britain’s Experience of Empire, 1870-1945 optional (15 credits): In recent decades the ‘new imperial history’ has sought to develop the history of the British Empire by bringing new focus to the circulations, networks and exchanges that have connected Britain and its empire. This module will question whether Britain can be understood as an ‘imperial’ country. This means that the course will engage with controversial contemporary questions about the cultural and social consequences of colonisation in Britain, including debates around ‘race’, immigration and educational/institutional decolonisation.

Entry Requirements

A minimum of a Second-Class Honours degree in a relevant discipline awarded by a UK university, or an equivalent higher education qualification.

International Entry Requirements

Possess a degree from an overseas institution that is judged by the Registrar or Nominee to be equivalent to a second class honours degree from a UK University.

For students whose first language is not English there is a language requirement of IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 minimum of all components. In addition to this, we also accept a wide range of International Qualifications, for more information please visit our English Language Requirements page.

For additional information about country specific entry requirements visit the your country pages. 

Teaching and Research

The subject of History and Politics at Liverpool Hope University is led by well-respected academics and has a strong teaching and research reputation. Our academics have research profiles in fields such as War and Peace studies, Irish Studies, early modern history and conflict studies.

Members in the department work collaboratively with colleagues in other departments and are actively involved in a number of the University’s research centres and groups. The department has particular research interests in international relations;  and responsibility to protect; European integration; American government; British and Irish politics and history; Latin American and African Politics; Political Communication and International Relations; and twentieth century European ideologies, cultures and identities.

Teaching in the School of Humanities is in line with the wider University Learning and Teaching strategy and encourages learning in small groups to foster the development of academic potential and improve the working dynamic between students and members of staff. 

All taught classes are held at Liverpool Hope University’s main campus, Hope Park. The campus is situated just four miles from the city centre and offers superb academic and support facilities, including on-campus library with extended opening hours, free computer and wi-fi access, access to the on campus gym and sports centre and a careers service for advice on part-time work opportunities and post-study careers.

UK/Channel Island Tuition Fees

2025/26

Tuition fees for Home students are £7,750

Funding

We offer a number of scholarships and loans to help fund your postgraduate studies. Visit our scholarships pages for more details.

EU/Non EU International Tuition Fees

2025/26

Tuition fees for EU/Non-EU International students for 2025/26 are £15,250

Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.

Careers

Graduates of the MA in Politics and International Relations are likely to pursue careers in international organisations (UN and associated agencies), NGOs (especially development organisations), international business, community organisations, diplomatic service, armed services, education, political life and the University sector.

The MA in Politics and International Relations also provides an excellent foundation for further postgraduate research study through PhD studies.